Nye Beach

I had a very relaxing afternoon at the coast yesterday. The weather was perfect. Sunset was gorgeous. I needed that.

Ho Ho Ho!

When we were kids my brothers and I all had Santa mugs. I remember drinking milk out of mine and dunking cookies in it. I liked it, even though none of us ever really believed in Santa as kids, and as an adult I think Santa competes with Jesus for attention at Christmas. This year I decided to make new Santa mugs for all of us as a nostalgic reminder of our childhood Christmases. I started painting them traditionally but didn't get any farther than red hats before I got bored. Here is the result of my boredom.


I laughed myself silly over these. I love them, particularly the zombie Santa. I know, I'm sick. I don't know why I find the idea so appealing and humorous. Lucky for me, the recipients also liked them :D

Alpine Holiday Festival

Yesterday I participated in my first ever art/craft fair. I was very nervous about whether I would have enough inventory to fill a whole booth, and whether my first time amateur greenness would look chintzy next to the seasoned veterans of the craft fair circuit. I need not have worried. I totally over-prepared. This is my booth:

I really like how it turned out. I think it's homey and cozy and inviting. Our neighbor vendors were all so friendly and helpful. One of them loaned us an extra table and one offered some peg board to help with the display which we didn't end up using, but the offer was much appreciated.

So many people as they walked by said they had never seen anything like my book art and how cool and impressive and intriguing it was. Equal numbers of people remembered seeing old Reader's Digests folded into angels or Santas or Christmas trees.

My friend Coral came with me for moral support. She also had a few books to sell of her own. We did all right. I figure we about broke even, after the booth rental fee and the gas to get there and the supplies and all. Not to mention the money I spent at other vendors' booths ;) It was fun. I'd totally do it again.

When we arrived in the morning to finish setting up there was a diminutive visitor to our booth. I know the photo is blurry and horrible, but we considered it a sign of good luck that the ladybug decided to grace us with her presence. We liberated her from the confines of the building after quickly taking her portrait :)

News

Firstly, This weekend I've been asked to participate in a holiday art/craft fair. Woo hoo! I've never done a fair before. I'm nervous about the booth setup. I don't want it to look lame and amateurish. But I'm excited. Coral and Abby are coming with me, so even if we don't sell anything we'll still have fun girly time :)

Secondly, I'm being sued. Remember that ice storm accident I had almost two years ago? Apparently one of the children in the suburban I slid into was injured and the lovely billion dollar multinational corporation for whom I work hasn't paid her medical expenses. Her parents are suing the company... and me... for negligence to the tune of $104,5oo, or something like that. The $4,500 is the medical bill, the $100,000 is for pain and suffering. Every time I try to talk to my boss about it he says, "Don't worry about it. The company will take care of it." But he gives me nothing tangible to make me believe it's true. Their idea of "taking care of it" might be hanging me out to dry. Anyway, Monday is the deadline for the company to respond, so one way or another I suppose I'll know soon.

Thirdly, I got a new calling at church. They released me from teaching Relief Society :( and called me to teach the sunbeams in Primary. Gaaah! I haven't been in Primary since I was 12, and I know next to nothing about 4 year olds. Thank heaven it's team teaching because I think the little rug rats would eat me alive if I had to be in there alone with them. I'm sure it will be good for me, I'm sure I'll learn a lot, and hopefully I won't warp the little ones too severely.

The man in my life

Casper's human, (my brother) has gone to Hawaii to visit our Dad and has left his gorgous and nearly perfect kitty here. He looks a little cranky in this photo but he is a very good humored creature, and very affectionate. His human is flying home tonight and will undoubtedly be greeted with enthusiastic mews and demands for attention. I love Casper, but I will not miss being jumped on in the middle of the night, or having everything I own covered in long white hairs... but I will miss his furry little face.

911

I feel like all I ever do is post doom and gloom and whine about it. I apologize, but I genuinely can't think of anything cheerful to write about at the moment. Since last posting I had dinner with my soon to be divorced friend and had to call 911 because he rushed out of the restaurant intent on doing himself harm. The police caught up with him and took him to the hospital, for which I am intensely grateful. I hope they keep him long enough to do some good. He's been talking about drowning and carbon monoxide poisoning and running his car into trees, among other things, for weeks now. I told him I wouldn't stand by and let it happen, that I'd have him committed. He can hate me for the rest of his long and normal life.

On a lighter note, here are some photos of Coral and I at our friend Laura's birthday party, and of the plate I made her:

Googly eyes rock.

Paging Nurse Simmons

I don't even know what to say about the last few weeks, but I'm tired out. Two things have been going on that independently would be manageable for me, but concurrently they are taxing my strength and sanity. Firstly, my beloved mother has been unwell. She had surgery yesterday and is now home. I've taken some time off work to care for her and am happy to be able to look after her. She's taken such good care of me over the years, it's nice to be able to return the favor in a small way :) But it is stressful. It's hard to see someone you love in pain, which brings me to the second thing.
My good friend is in the beginning stages of divorce and is relying heavily on me for emotional support. He is in the first, most agonizing part: the pain, the self doubt, the depression. And I am his only friend. And it's hard to see him suffering. And of course it reminds me of my own divorce.
Watching other people suffer is almost worse than suffering yourself. I am strong and am happy these people can lean on me for support, but I am tired. I hope I make it to the end of their trials without failing in some major way. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.